When the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comic turned out to be so true to the television series — and so much fun — many Joss Whedon fans dared to hope that more of his canceled shows would continue in graphic form. Angel fans got their wish in November (with mixed reviews) and now comes confirmation that a new Serenity comic will be published in March 2008.

Serenity: Better Days is a three-issue series set between the end of Firefly and the 2005 Serenity feature film — the same setting as Serenity: Those Left Behind, which was published in 2005. … continue reading

If you follow the phenomenon that is the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (and yes, you should), you’ll know that a special two-hour episode aptly named Razor is showing on the Sci Fi Channel next week. Razor focuses on the backstory of the battlestar Pegasus and one Lt. Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen), a young officer linked closely to Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) and essential to events leading up to season three.

I had the pleasure of attending one of the advanced screenings of Razor that Microsoft has so graciously (and so ostentatiously) sponsored, so after sitting through about 12 ads for the Xbox 360, I was presented with two hours of pure, sweet BSG adrenaline. No spoilers here, but if you have any interest in spaceships, guns, women in power and/or gratuitous amounts of Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), you should check it out when it airs on November 24.

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I've spent the last several days reviewing the trials and tribulations of a certain group of humans as they trek toward Earth. I think watching Katee Sackhoff calling timeouts in Bionic Woman has made me long for more Starbuck. Well, that and rereading some of Malinda's blogs.

I was a latecomer to the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon and spent most of season 3 catching up on seasons 1 and 2. And now that I've finally caught up with the rest of the BSG world, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the return of the cylons. OK, to be honest, I'm waiting for the return of three particular cyclons. … continue reading

Maria Bello, whose most recent work includes The Jane Austen Book Club, calls her new gig as librarian Rachel Weisz Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor "the role of my dreams. It is just a blast." Here's a reminder of what this replacement looks like:

And what's in this role of her dreams? Bello says that her Evelyn is "a very different character than Rachel played. She's a bad-ass action chick. I had to train a lot. I had to do wushu, a martial-art form, some kick-boxing, swordfighting, rifle training for a couple of months before we even started shooting." Here she is in Toronto, all brunette already:

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Sounds good, but I still can't figure out how this is going to work. Generally when a different character is introduced, I want, you know, a different character.

Sci-fi fans probably already know a little BBC hit called Torchwood, a spin-off of the series Doctor Who. Torchwood (an anagram for Doctor Who, because yeah, they are that geeky), follows the adventures of an elite special ops team as they investigate alien phenomenon in the city of Cardiff, Wales — which, as any intergalatic tourist book will tell you, is the place to be if you're an alien looking for a time-space rift.

Now available on BBC America, the same broadcaster that brings shows from across the pond with names like Drunk on the Job and Love Me, Love My Doll (don't you just love the programming people at the BBC?), Torchwood doesn't offer just fast-paced stories, alien gadgetry and quippy dialogue delivered with neat-o accents.

Because the show features a multi-omni-pan-whatever-sexual leader named Captain Jack, played by an openly out actor (John Barrowman), it's being recapped over on our brother site, AfterElton.com. But the story lines delve into very fluid ideas of sexuality for all the Torchwoodies. Take Episode 2, "Day One," for example. … continue reading

The last time James Cameron sat in the director's chair, he brought us large chunks of ice and a sinking ship. From The Abyss and Aliens to Terminator and Titanic, nothing he does is small or cheap. So naturally we expect big things from his newest directorial project, a 3D sci-fi epic called Avatar, not to be confused with M. Night Shyamalan's live action version of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cameron's film is said to combine live action with virtual characters, including the big, blue avatar occupied by the movie's hero for much of the film. With a budget of just under 200 million dollars, it would actually be cheaper than such recent offerings as X-Men 3 and Superman Returns. Of course, with Cameron at the helm, one would expect that budget to swell significantly.

I'm one of those people who love a good action epic, especially a good sci-fi action epic, but I'm not willing to give Cameron glowing recommendations. I love his movies, but he's a little too egocentric for my tastes. But I have a great deal of fondness for some of the female characters he has helped bring to life, including Lindsey Brigman in The Abyss, Sarah Connor in Terminator, and Rose Dawson in Titanic.

So I'm looking forward to seeing what Mr. Cameron does with the female characters in his newest venture. Among the women previously cast in the film are CCH Pounder, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver. I wonder how Weaver feels about being in yet another war with aliens? Do you think she wonders if maybe Cameron has it in for her?

The newest addition to this group is feisty Michelle Rodriguez. … continue reading

Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly published its list of the top 25 science fiction films and TV series, and then it invited readers to tell them which shows/movies they missed. Apparently EW received over 1,200 comments via email and online comments (you weighed in on your faves on AfterEllen.com, too), and in the June 1 issue of Entertainment Weekly the readers' top 10 omissions are listed (including Stargate, Dune, Farscape and Babylon 5), along with EW's explanations for why they weren't selected. Here are some highlights from the new list:

4. EW says The Fifth Element didn't make it because "in the end, it's a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. A being of pure love is needed to save the universe? Come on." I gotta say, I kind of agree with EW. The movie, in my opinion, was really pretty and had lots of interesting ideas ... until the ending came and it all fizzled out on wave of ridiculousness. Besides, I think EW's readers mostly voted for The Fifth Element based on Milla Jovovich's unique Band-Aid costume:

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5. Why did EW not include Buffy the Vampire Slayer?